Tetiana Zaitseva, 68, said her son Artem Zaitsev, 44, died shortly after being taken to a territorial recruitment center in Kryvyi Rig following his detention by police and military personnel during the night of May 4-5, 2024.

Ukrainian authorities have attributed his death to a medical episode linked to a heart condition. Zaitseva disputes that finding and says injuries sustained while in custody contributed to his death.

The case has drawn attention as Ukraine continues mandatory military mobilization introduced after Russia’s 2022 invasion. While reported incidents involving violence against conscripts represent a small fraction of overall call-ups, complaints have increased as the conflict has evolved into a prolonged war of attrition.

According to information documented through official announcements and media reports, at least 30 Ukrainians have died after mobilization since September 2023. Most cases involved pre-existing medical conditions, while four individuals died by suicide and two were reported to have been beaten.

Videos circulating on social media have also shown recruitment personnel forcibly detaining men for military service, fueling public criticism of enlistment practices. At the same time, recruitment officers have increasingly become targets of violence. Police data show three recruiters have been killed since 2022 and more than 600 attacks on recruitment centers have been recorded.

Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who took office in January, has pledged what he described as major changes to the mobilization system amid concerns over enforcement methods and public trust.

A Ukrainian officer serving on the front line told AFP that responsibility for mobilization should rest with police rather than military personnel and called for tougher penalties against corruption within the recruitment process.

Cases involving officials accused of issuing draft exemptions in exchange for bribes have further undermined confidence in the system, according to observers and polling data.

Zaitseva said she visited her son at the recruitment center shortly before his death and observed injuries to his face, including bruising and swollen lips. She said he assured her he was well enough at the time.
A second medical examination conducted at her request roughly 16 months after his death found evidence of non-fatal injuries, including broken ribs, that investigators said were sustained at the recruitment center.

A criminal case initially opened under a murder classification was later closed without further action before being reopened in February following an appeal by Zaitseva.

The case has been widely circulated by Russian media outlets and by Ukrainian blogger Myroslav Oleshko, who left Ukraine after seeking to avoid military service. Ukrainian investigative outlet Bihus criticized such coverage, arguing that some actors were using legitimate grievances to advance political or propaganda objectives.

Despite concerns over information manipulation, public dissatisfaction with recruitment practices remains significant. Oleksii Antypovych, director of polling firm Rating Group, said survey data indicate that more than 70% of Ukrainians are dissatisfied with recruitment authorities.

Antypovych said public frustration could deepen unless reforms are implemented to improve transparency and accountability within the mobilization process.

Standing beside her son’s grave near her home in Kryvyi Rig, Zaitseva said she continues to seek answers about the circumstances surrounding his death and wants those responsible, if any wrongdoing is established, to be held accountable.

The Air India jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people in the world’s deadliest aviation disaster in a decade. The aircraft was powered by engines manufactured by GE Aerospace, which have remained a central focus of the inquiry.

Investigators conducted engine tests in April and traveled to France last month as part of an examination of the aircraft’s engine management unit, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the details have not been made public.
Bloomberg News reported earlier on Thursday that a final report could be released within three months after technical studies involving the engines, which were sent to the United States for examination, are completed.

Under international aviation rules, accident investigators are expected to publish a final report within one year of a crash. When an investigation remains unfinished, authorities typically issue an interim statement outlining progress made in the inquiry.

Reuters reported last month that Indian officials were preparing an interim report rather than a final determination ahead of the anniversary because of the complexity of the investigation.

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the civil aviation ministry, Air India, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, Boeing and GE Aerospace did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A preliminary report released last year found that the aircraft’s engine fuel control switches moved almost simultaneously from the “RUN” position to “CUTOFF” shortly after takeoff, cutting fuel supply to both engines and leading to a loss of thrust.

The findings intensified scrutiny of cockpit actions in the moments before the crash. Reuters reported last year that an early assessment by U.S. officials, based in part on cockpit voice recorder dialogue, supported the possibility that the captain had cut fuel flow to the engines. The AAIB subsequently said it was too early to reach definitive conclusions.

The captain’s father later petitioned India’s Supreme Court for an independent investigation, arguing that potential causes beyond deliberate pilot action should be fully examined.

The Federation of Indian Pilots wrote on June 5 to the civil aviation minister, aviation regulator and the prime minister’s office urging investigators not to release an interim report without obtaining additional technical information from Boeing and Air India.

According to a letter reviewed by Reuters, the pilots’ body argued that further data were necessary to evaluate and challenge what it described as a pilot-suicide theory being explored during the investigation.
The preliminary report did not issue any safety recommendations to Boeing or GE Aerospace, indicating investigators had not identified technical deficiencies requiring immediate corrective action at that stage.

The accident marked the first fatal crash involving Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner since the aircraft entered commercial service in 2011.

The crash occurred during Air India’s ongoing restructuring following its privatization, a transformation that has faced challenges from supply-chain disruptions, the conflict involving Iran and airspace restrictions imposed by Pakistan on Indian carriers.

The request came three days after a magnitude 7.8 offshore earthquake struck near the southern province of Sarangani, killing at least 47 people, injuring 688 and leaving 31 others missing, according to disaster management officials.

More than 45,000 residents remained displaced, with roughly half staying in emergency shelters, after the quake damaged more than 12,600 homes across farming towns and urban centers in the affected region. Provincial authorities said many residents were reluctant to return home because of continuing aftershocks.

The hardest-hit province was Sarangani, where 20 fatalities were reported, most linked to a landslide that buried homes in the coastal municipality of Glan, according to the Office of Civil Defense.

Glan Mayor Victor James Yap said 10 of the town’s 31 villages remained inaccessible, largely due to landslides that blocked roads and cut off transport links. The municipality, home to more than 100,000 residents, continued to face severe logistical challenges in distributing aid.

“We need food and water but it’s difficult to transport them to some of our villages which remain isolated,” Yap told DZMM radio, urging the government to deploy air force helicopters to reach communities cut off from ground access.

Yap said a major road leading into the town had reopened, allowing fuel deliveries to resume as early as Thursday. However, electricity had yet to be restored and cellular communication services remained unreliable across parts of the municipality.

Most earthquake-related deaths were caused by collapsing structures, falling debris and landslides in Sarangani, General Santos City and the neighboring provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental.
The disaster also triggered coastal hazards. Two swimmers drowned and another remained missing after being swept out to sea near General Santos shortly after the quake.

Authorities recorded waves reaching up to 1.4 meters above normal tide levels in parts of the southern Philippines, while smaller sea surges were detected in Indonesia, Palau and southern Japan.

The earthquake ranks among the strongest to strike the Philippines in the last five decades. It follows the magnitude 8.1 earthquake and tsunami of August 1976, one of the country’s deadliest natural disasters, which killed about 8,000 people.

The Philippines lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone where frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur due to the movement of major tectonic plates.

The emerging industry centers on collecting so-called “egocentric data” — first-person recordings captured through head-mounted cameras, smart glasses and motion sensors that allow AI systems to learn how humans interact with physical environments.
In Chennai, 25-year-old homemaker Nagireddy Sriramyachandra spends part of her day filming routine household chores, including food preparation, for AI data company Objectways.

She earns about 250 rupees ($3) an hour for the recordings, which are uploaded through a specialized application and used to train robotic systems.
Developers believe that exposing AI models to large volumes of human behavioral data will help robots perform real-world tasks more effectively, particularly in domestic and industrial settings where navigation and object manipulation remain significant technological challenges.

Objectways, which operates in India and the United States and works with machine-learning platform Amazon SageMaker, collects videos requested by corporate clients seeking to train robotics systems for activities such as folding clothes, preparing beverages and performing basic kitchen tasks.

The business reflects growing investor interest in humanoid robotics. Morgan Stanley has projected that more than one billion humanoid robots could be in operation worldwide by 2050, primarily in commercial and industrial applications.
Objectways Chief Executive Ravi Shankar said automation would eventually assume responsibility for some routine jobs, allowing workers to focus on more advanced activities.

The company’s operations extend beyond homes. At a textile factory in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district, workers wearing smart glasses and head-mounted cameras record manufacturing processes while carrying out routine production work.

India has increasingly positioned itself as a global center for AI data collection, annotation and processing services, leveraging its large labor force and established technology sector.

Aditi Surie, a digital labor researcher at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in Bengaluru, said demand for data collection services linked to AI development is likely to expand as companies seek increasingly sophisticated training datasets.

The rise of such work has also intensified debate over automation’s impact on employment in a country where informal labor remains a major component of the economy.

Government policy think tank NITI Aayog has warned that discussions surrounding artificial intelligence often focus on highly skilled workers while overlooking implications for India’s estimated 490 million informal workers.

Ahead of an international AI summit hosted by India this year, the institution examined how artificial intelligence could affect a wide range of occupations, including agricultural laborers, street vendors, cobblers and sanitation workers.

Among those participating in data collection projects is Ponni, a 55-year-old flower garland maker in Bengaluru who has spent years working in the informal economy. She has also been paid to wear a recording device while carrying out her daily activities.
She expressed concern that future workers engaged in similar occupations could face growing competition from automated systems trained on human-generated data.

At an Objectways recording studio, workers repeatedly film themselves performing household tasks in fully furnished mock apartments designed to generate varied training material. Employees record dozens of short clips daily while changing positions, angles and environments to increase the diversity of datasets supplied to clients.

Rani N., a 21-year-old engineering graduate employed as an AI system trainer, said she records roughly 90 videos each day, often repeating the same activity in different locations within a room.

Elsewhere, workers arrange objects such as water bottles, crayons and office supplies while specialized depth-sensing cameras capture movement and spatial relationships.

Qanat Consulting Services, a subcontractor based in Andhra Pradesh, supplies recordings to larger AI data firms through a network of around 2,000 contributors. Some participants wear motion-tracking bands on their hands, wrists and legs to provide more detailed movement information.

Other companies are expanding beyond visual data. Bengaluru-based Humyn Labs gathers audio recordings and conversations on assigned topics to help clients train systems capable of understanding speech patterns and human interaction.

Humyn Labs founder Manish Agarwal said he expects future workplaces to combine human expertise with robotic capabilities rather than replace workers entirely.

He said advances in robotics and artificial intelligence could eventually allow workers in one country to supervise automated systems operating thousands of kilometers away, creating new forms of cross-border employment.

The resolution, submitted by the British Columbia General Employees’ Union, sought additional scrutiny of products and services provided by Thomson Reuters to law enforcement agencies, including contracts linked to U.S. immigration enforcement.

The proposal was opposed by the board of the Toronto-based content and technology company. Chairman David Thomson told shareholders during the meeting that more than 95% of votes cast were against the measure, while slightly more than 3% supported it.

“We welcome the outcome of today’s vote, which reflects shareholders’ confidence in the board’s recommendation to vote against the proposal,” a company spokesperson said.

The debate focused on concerns raised by some investors and employees that Thomson Reuters products may contribute to the enforcement activities of the administration’s immigration policies targeting undocumented migrants.

Supporters of the resolution pointed to a $22.8 million contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that was scheduled to conclude in May. Part of the agreement involved providing license plate reader data to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Federal spending records show the contract, along with other government agreements, was awarded to Thomson Reuters Special Services (TRSS), a Virginia-based subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.

TRSS says its services assist government agencies in combating financial crime, identifying foreign influence operations and supporting law enforcement and national security analysis through data-driven tools.
Thomson Reuters noted that its Reuters news division operates independently and separately from the company’s commercial and government-services businesses.

Corporate governance specialists said the vote indicated that major institutional investors did not view the proposal as necessary or were unwilling to challenge the company’s existing approach to managing risks associated with government contracts.
Douglas Chia, president of governance advisory firm Soundboard Governance, said the result suggested shareholders were not interested in sending a broader political signal regarding the company’s relationship with immigration authorities.

One of Thomson Reuters’ largest shareholders, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, said it opposed the resolution because it did not identify significant shortcomings in the company’s management or disclosure of sustainability-related risks.
Following the vote, Emma Pullman, head of shareholder engagement at the British Columbia General Employees’ Union, said the company had made progress in certain areas of disclosure but argued that additional reporting on law-enforcement-related products would benefit investors.

Pullman said a dedicated assessment of products used in immigration and policing activities could strengthen transparency and demonstrate the company’s commitment to human rights considerations.
The vote highlights the growing tension facing publicly traded companies that provide technology and data services to government agencies, particularly as investors increasingly weigh environmental, social and governance concerns against commercial opportunities and public-sector contracts.

The proposed legislation would also establish a new digital regulator responsible for setting safety standards for artificial intelligence chatbots and other online services, according to a government official familiar with the measure.

The bill was introduced in Parliament by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government as policymakers in several countries intensify efforts to address concerns about the impact of social media and AI technologies on children and young people.

If enacted, the legislation would place Canada among a growing group of nations pursuing stricter digital protections for minors. Australia became the first country to introduce a nationwide social media ban for users under 16 in December, while France, Denmark and Poland are considering similar restrictions. Greece has also announced plans to prohibit social media access for children under 15 beginning in January 2027.

Canadian officials said implementation would not be immediate. They estimated the legislation could require up to a year to pass through Parliament, followed by approximately 18 months to establish and operationalize the proposed regulator.

The legislation arrives amid increasing scrutiny of technology companies and artificial intelligence platforms. Its introduction follows legal action filed by families affected by one of Canada’s deadliest mass shootings, who alleged that OpenAI failed to alert authorities despite indications that the suspected attacker had discussed plans for violence through ChatGPT.

The lawsuit has intensified debate in Canada over the responsibilities of AI developers and digital platforms in identifying and responding to potential threats.
Government officials said the new regulatory framework would focus on creating enforceable safety standards for emerging technologies while strengthening protections for minors online.

The proposal faces a legislative timetable complicated by Parliament’s approaching summer recess. Although Carney’s government holds a majority, officials acknowledged that the bill’s passage and subsequent implementation could take several years.

The measure reflects a broader international shift toward tighter regulation of social media platforms and AI systems as governments seek to balance technological innovation with concerns over online safety, youth mental health and digital accountability. :

Under the initiative, each government will contribute £1 million to establish the fund, which will provide financial support to new and existing projects designed to encourage dialogue, reconciliation and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians.

According to details released by the British government, the fund will prioritize programs involving youth groups, civil society organizations and women’s initiatives, reflecting a focus on community-level engagement rather than formal diplomatic negotiations.

The governments said the mechanism is intended to complement broader international efforts to advance a negotiated resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and strengthen constituencies that support peaceful coexistence.

Officials indicated the fund is expected to expand beyond its initial capitalization by attracting additional international donors once operations are underway.
The announcement was made ahead of a meeting in Britain involving UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, where discussions were expected to include developments in the Middle East and support for a two-state framework.

The initiative comes as international actors continue to explore diplomatic and civil-society-based approaches to reducing tensions and fostering dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian communities amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza and broader regional uncertainty.

While relatively modest in financial terms, the fund represents a coordinated effort by three Western allies to support locally driven peacebuilding projects that seek to build trust, strengthen civic engagement and create channels for long-term cooperation between communities affected by decades of conflict.

The participating governments said the program would focus on practical, grassroots initiatives capable of generating sustained engagement and laying foundations for future peace efforts.

The meeting followed a summit in London earlier this week attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Britain, France and Germany. During the gathering, the three European countries expressed support for Kyiv’s proposal for direct talks with Moscow aimed at ending more than four years of conflict.

French Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere described the discussions at Russia’s Foreign Ministry as constructive and told reporters that a joint statement would be released later in the day.

Russia, however, characterized the talks differently, saying the ambassadors were informed of what Moscow described as the “destructive” Ukraine policies of their governments. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Britain, France and Germany of seeking to prolong the conflict at Europe’s expense.

The diplomatic contact comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a proposal by Zelensky this month for a face-to-face meeting intended to advance peace negotiations.

At the London summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz endorsed Zelensky’s initiative and said the current battlefield positions should serve as a starting point for future negotiations.

Western European diplomats have had limited direct engagement with Russian authorities since Moscow launched its full-scale offensive against Ukraine. Contacts have largely been confined to formal summonses and diplomatic exchanges through established channels.

The meeting also reflects growing discussion within parts of Europe about whether renewed dialogue with Moscow could help create conditions for ending the conflict, which remains Europe’s largest war since World War Two.

Efforts led by the United States to broker a settlement have so far failed to produce a breakthrough. Diplomatic attention has also been increasingly diverted by the conflict involving Iran, complicating international attempts to advance negotiations on Ukraine.

Russia has generally preferred discussing the war with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and has repeatedly signaled opposition to a larger European role in any future settlement process.

Britain, France and Germany remain among Ukraine’s principal military, financial and diplomatic supporters and have consistently backed Kyiv throughout the conflict.

The findings, published on Wednesday in the journal Current Biology, link the losses to devastating floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Senyar, which struck northern Sumatra in November and caused widespread destruction across the region.

The storm killed more than 1,200 people and damaged over 180,000 homes in three provinces. Environmental organizations previously attributed the scale of the disaster partly to extensive deforestation in affected areas.

Researchers found that approximately 58 Tapanuli orangutans were killed in landslides across the Batang Toru ecosystem, the only known habitat of the critically endangered species. Fewer than 800 individuals are believed to remain in the wild.

Using satellite imagery, scientists identified about 8,300 hectares affected by landslides in the Batang Toru region following the extreme rainfall event. The study concluded that orangutans likely died from falling trees, burial under landslides and drowning during prolonged flooding.

The authors said the estimate was conservative because the analysis covered only landslides in western Batang Toru and excluded indirect impacts such as food shortages and canopy destruction that may also have increased mortality.

“Our findings provide quantitative evidence that extreme rainfall events can directly threaten great ape survival,” the researchers wrote.

They warned that the deaths represent a significant demographic setback for a species characterized by slow reproduction rates and high sensitivity to population losses.

Previous scientific assessments have suggested that the Tapanuli orangutan, identified as a distinct species in 2017, could face extinction if annual population declines exceed 1%.

The study adds to growing evidence linking biodiversity threats to climate change. Researchers previously found that human-induced climate change increased Cyclone Senyar’s rainfall intensity by between 10% and 50%, amplifying the likelihood and severity of landslides.

Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London and co-author of the study, said the findings illustrate how climate change and biodiversity loss are becoming increasingly interconnected.

She said human-driven warming transformed a severe tropical storm into a catastrophic trigger for landslides that devastated both human communities and wildlife populations.

The researchers urged immediate conservation measures to protect the Batang Toru ecosystem, warning that continued habitat degradation combined with climate-related disasters could accelerate the species’ decline.

Jatna Supriatna, a biology professor at Universitas Indonesia and co-author of the study, called for permanent protection of the Batang Toru forest and greater international financial support for biodiversity recovery efforts.

He said stronger conservation action is essential to prevent what could become the first modern extinction of a great ape species.

The blaze erupted at about 5 a.m. on the third floor of a residential apartment block in Magaluf, a popular holiday destination on the southwestern coast of Mallorca, according to Spain’s Civil Guard.

Residents initially attempted to extinguish the fire before emergency services arrived, but the flames spread rapidly through the building, particularly to the upper floors. More than a dozen occupants were evacuated as firefighters worked to contain the blaze.

Emergency crews brought the fire under control and extinguished it approximately two hours after it began.

Nine people were transported to medical facilities for treatment related to smoke inhalation, a Civil Guard spokesperson said.

Authorities identified one of the victims as a 58-year-old Argentine national. The second victim was a woman whose identity had not yet been established. Officials said the two were found in separate apartments within the building.

Investigators have opened an inquiry to determine the cause of the fire.

The incident occurred in Magaluf, one of Mallorca’s best-known beach and nightlife destinations, particularly popular among British and German tourists. The resort is located in the municipality of Calvià, about 22 kilometers west of Palma, the capital of Spain’s Balearic Islands.

Local authorities declared two days of mourning following the tragedy as emergency services and investigators continued work at the scene.